Under a Falling Sky
by RandomAvocados
Summary: Fourteen-year-old Chris Halliwell falls in love with a demon who has the ability to control people. Slash. ChrisxOC
1. Chapter 1

_I watch as the daylight crawls  
Past the shadows hanging on the wall  
It's been a long time since i felt the stain  
Of yesterday getting in my way_

I needed to get out of the house. My parents had invited Wyatt's girlfriend over for dinner, and they were fawning over her. I was expected to sit there and be polite when that's the last thing I wanted to do. Wyatt was currently recounting the lame story of how they had gotten together, and I couldn't take it anymore. I stood up, knocking over my chair. It fell to the ground with a crash. Conversation stopped. The noise reverberated in the sudden silence. Ignoring my family's wide eyes and open mouths, I ran. Leaving the chair laying on the floor, I flew towards the door, ripping it open then slamming it shut with an equally loud noise. I sprinted down the street and through the city, not slowly down until I neared my favorite beach. It was relatively early, but the beach was already abandoned. Beyond the empty expanse of sand, the water glistened in the rays of the setting sun. Sitting down on a rock, I placed a hand over my racing heart and tried to regain control of my breathing.

Wyatt was the perfect son, obviously their favorite. I was just the other one that almost didn't even happen. I know my father tries to be there for me, always telling me he loves me, but I'm not an idiot. It's not hard to see that he loves Wyatt more. And why wouldn't he? Wyatt is the twice blessed child. He has powers that I can only dream of. He can carry on the Halliwell line. Not that I couldn't or anything. There are ways. It's just not the same. Wyatt's perfect. I'm not. End of story.

Tears filled my eyes and I tried desperately to blink them back. Chris Halliwell is strong. Chris Halliwell does not cry. My attempts were in vain though, and they leaked out, tracing lines down my face. Chris Halliwell is weak.

Through the tears I watched as the horizon slowly swallowed the sun. The air grew colder almost instantly. Shivering, I rubbed my bare arms, trying to warm them. In my haste to escape, I had forgotten to grab a coat. It was getting late and I knew I should head back home, but that house was the absolute last place I wanted to be at the moment. And so, hugging my knees to my chest, I stared out at the now dark water.

Several hours passed and I still hadn't gotten up to leave. It was now close to midnight, but I didn't care. I contemplated spending the night on the beach, and wondered if a warming spell would be considered personal gain, when I heard a noise behind me. I jumped up and turned around, but I couldn't see anything in the darkness. "Who's there?" I shouted, trying to sound strong. My voice came out shaky and slightly higher than normal. My heartbeat started to quicken rapidly. I really should have gone back hours ago. It was dangerous being out here alone at night, even for a witch. "Who's there?" I shouted again and a dark figure emerged from the shadows, slowly walking towards me. "Stay where you are! Don't come any closer!" Whoever it was didn't stop. Instead, they came close enough so I could finally see them. I breathed a sigh of relief. It was just a boy; he looked to be about my age. From what I could see in the dim light, he had curly black hair, a skin tight black shirt, tight black pants, and black combat boots. No wonder I hadn't seen him. He blended in perfectly with the darkness.

"I'm sorry," the boy said. His voice was soft and sweet and seemed to flow out of him, hanging in the air like the water beneath our feet. "I didn't mean to frighten you. It's just this is my favorite place to come whenever I feel lonely. I was surprised to find somebody else here."

I smiled sadly. There was something about the boy that drew me in. I don't think I could've stopped myself even if I had wanted to. I took a step closer.

"I guess I feel lonely a lot. I'm here more than my own home."

Another step.

"Do you get lonely a lot?"

One more step and I was right in front of him, less than a foot away.

"I don't want to be lonely anymore."

At this point I wasn't in control of my own body. My arms reached out in front of me and wrapped themselves around the boy. As soon as my skin touched his, the rocks disappeared, as did the sand beneath my feet, the salty smell of the bay, and the sound of the waves crashing against the shore. Instead I was standing in a cave.

_What the hell just happened? _I thought. I wanted to back away. I wanted to scream. I wanted to orb home. But I couldn't. I couldn't do anything. I couldn't even move.

The boy drew back and looked into my eyes. That's when I noticed his were a burning red. "Now neither of us will be lonely anymore," he said, smiling. And then he kissed me. And my mind slipped out of my control as well.


	2. Chapter 2

_I'm alive but tell me am i free  
I've got eyes but tell me can I see  
The sky is falling and no one knows_

"Do you love me?" he asked. His name was Dominic and he was perfection.

I didn't even hesitate before answering, "Yes. I do love you. I love you more than anything else in the world. I would do anything for you. My heart. My mind. My body. They all belong to you. _I_ belong to you."

He smiled and wrapped his arms around my body. "Would you die for me?"

"I would." I laid my head against his chest and listened to the sound of his breathing. "I would kill for you." I would too. I would kill my own mother if he told me to.

"But if you die, I'll be all alone again. Promise me you won't die to save me."

"I promise," I said, but in my mind I was searching for a way out of the promise, a way I could protect him.

"I love you," he whispered into my ear, pushing a strand of hair out of my eyes.

"I love you more," I argued. We both smiled.

Suddenly the entire cave shook as an explosion ripped through the wall. We both jumped up as rock and dust flew everywhere, blinding us. Out of the smoke came an energy ball, which hit me in the shoulder. I screamed out in pain and fell to the ground. Dominic crouched down beside me. "You have to go. Now."

I tried to shake my head but it hurt too much. Another energy ball flew over our heads. Dominic stood up and threw one back at our unseen attackers. "Chris! I am giving you an order! Get out of here! Just orb! Orb anywhere."

I had no choice. With great reluctance, I orbed to the first place that came to my mind. I could just hear another explosion and Dominic screaming before I appeared in the entryway of the manor.

"I can't scry for him! Leo can't sense him! Where the hell is my son?" I heard my mother yelling in the living room. I collapsed to the ground, screaming and shaking. They came running but I ignored them. "Chirs! What happened to you? Leo! He's hurt!" She took me in her arms, hugged me, held me. I tried to push her away but I didn't have any strength left. "I have to go back! He's going to die! I have to save him!" I tried to orb back but I couldn't. Dominic had given me an order. As much as I wanted to I couldn't go against an order. "I can't let him die! I can't…can't…" My voice trailed away and my vision blurred, giving way to darkness.

I woke up some time later with a splitting headache. At first I didn't know where I was or what had happened. I looked around and realized I was in my room. Did I have a bad dream or something? Then it came back to me. How could I have been so weak? I passed out when he was in trouble! He needed me and I wasn't there for him! And why did I orb back home? This made things a lot worse. This has messed everything up. _I _have messed everything up.

"He's been out for over a day now," I heard my mom say. She was standing outside my door talking to my aunts. It's been over than a day? Was Dominic hurt? If he was vanquished wouldn't I know? Wouldn't I have been able to sense him?

"Should we check the book?" Aunt Phoebe asked.

"I don't think we'll find anything." I heard their footsteps walk away towards the attic. I had to leave. I had to go back.

"DEMON!" Wyatt shouted from downstairs, where a large explosion and a crashing noise could be heard. I jumped up and orbed into the living room. It was Dominic, and he didn't seem to be hurt at all. I smiled and started walking towards him.

"Chris! Get out of the way!" somebody screamed, I couldn't tell who it was. The next thing I knew the entire room was full of light and magic and energy balls and screams. Wyatt threw everything he had at Dominic, but I orbed the magic away from him, and the entire wall exploded. Dominic threw an energy ball at Wyatt who orbed it right back. Dominic shimmered and it shattered the window.

"Stop!" I screamed, and everyone in the room froze and turned to me. "You will not hurt Dominic," I said to my family. "And you will not hurt my family," I said to Dominic. I then orbed over to him. Not caring that everyone was still there, watching, I kissed him. Passionately. "I thought you were dead."

"I thought I was too."

"Chris?" my mother asked. "What's going on?"

I turned to her and smiled. "Exactly what it looks like," I said and kissed Dominic again. That's when I heard Wyatt growl. It seemed to happen in slow motion. I tried to orb. Dominic tried to shimmer. Neither of us was fast enough and Wyatt's magic hit Dominic in the back. He screamed and collapsed in my arms. "How dare you?" I spat at my brother. It took all the strength I had not to attack him. Instead I orbed back to the cave, which was now completely ruined, rocks and debris covering everything. I laid Dominic gently on the bed and crawled up beside him. Placing my hands over his burned back, tears started to leak from my eyes. "Heal," I said, even though I knew that wasn't how it worked. "Please heal, Dominic. I don't want you to die." Still nothing happened. Didn't demons usually burst into flames when they were vanquished? I concentrated all my magic into my hands, but still nothing happened. "You can't die. You just can't." I closed my eyes and started sobbing uncontrollably. I'm not strong enough. I don't have enough power. I can't heal him. "I'm sorry, Dominic. I'm so sorry. I wanted to protect you. I really did. I love you."


	3. Chapter 3

To my faithful readers, here is the third chapter. I think this fanfic is going to be rather short. There should be only one or two more chapters after this one. I just don't have any ideas for this story and I'd rather end it than ramble on and on. So, enjoy this chapter.

xXxXxXx

_You leave me hanging on  
I need to catch my breath  
I've got you and I've got nothing left  
don't leave me all alone down here  
with myself and all of my fear_

A warmth grew in my hands. Opening my eyes, I saw a golden light emanating from them, and the burn slowly disappeared. "I love you more," Dominic said, his voice deep and raspy. I laughed and hugged him. "You're alive."

"Of course I'm alive. Did you think I was dead?"

"I didn't know what to think." I pulled away and looked at the debris-covered cave. "What happened after I left? Who were those demons?"

"I vanquished them. Simple as that. I don't know who they were, but I'm guessing they knew you were here. No demon could pass up the opportunity to kill a Halliwell."

"No demon except you." I smiled and leaned in to kiss him, but he pushed me away.

"I don't consider myself a demon," he said before standing up. I was about to say that he shouldn't be up and walking after he had almost died, but he held out a hand, silencing me. He walked across to the opposite wall and leaned his head against the rough surface of the rock. I could hear him sigh heavily. "I want to be human."

I stood up and walked up behind him, placing a hand on his back. "Dominic…"

"What?!" he snapped, turning around and snarling at me. I backed away. "Why are you here? Because I'm controlling you? What if I wasn't? You would go home to your mommy and your daddy and your big brother. You would forget I even existed. You don't love me. I command you to love me. It's not the same. I don't want this anymore."

I wanted to ask what it was he didn't want. Did he not want me? Or did he not want to be a demon? I stood there in shock unable to say anything.

"Why do I do this? Why do I torture myself? I want nothing more than to be loved, but I want the other person to love me of their own free will. I try to tell myself I'm not like other demons. But I am. I control people. That makes me evil."

I shook my head. "No. You're not evil."

"Yes I am!" he shouted and pushed me up against the wall. The rock was jabbing into my back, but I ignored the pain and stared into his burning red eyes. "I am a demon. I was born evil." He placed one hand flat on the wall above me. With the other one he created an energy ball. "See this? Evil."

The cave was illuminated with blue light as somebody orbed in. We both looked up to see my family standing there. My parents. My aunts. My brother. Dominic didn't hesitate before throwing the energy ball at them. My mother froze it. "Quick, the spell," she said, and they read it, as Dominic kept throwing energy ball after energy ball at them.

"Release the mind and shatter the chain. Break the bond and end the pain."

"What kind of a spell is that?" I asked.

Wyatt blushed and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I suck at English," he said, then raised his arm, about to throw a vile of what I recognized to be vanquishing potion.

"No!" I shouted, and, throwing up my hands, I orbed all five of them back to the manor. I had never orbed anything that large and I stared at my hands in shock. Did I have more power than I realized? Maybe I wasn't as weak as I had thought. Turning to Dominic, I said, "I'm sorry. They must have figured out-"

"Now you have no reason to stay here," Dominic interrupted me. "I don't have control over you anymore." He brushed past me and went over to lay down on the bed. He curled into a ball, hugging his knees to his chest and burying his face in the sheets. I cautiously walked over to him. "What are you still doing here?" he snapped. "Leave now!"

"I thought you said you couldn't control me anymore. So I don't have to obey your orders." I climbed up on the bed beside him "Dominic, the spell didn't work. Because I haven't been under your control since before Wyatt hurt you. That healing thing I did can only be triggered by true love. If you were just controlling me and ordering me to love you then it wouldn't have worked. I really do love you and I'm not leaving. I want to help. I'm sure there's something in the book that could turn you human."

"I doubt it."

"Would you at least let me try to help before you give up?"

He wiped his eyes and looked up at me. At first I wasn't sure what he was going to do: yell at me more or accept my offer. In the end he placed a hand on my cheek and kissed me. "Fine. Ok. You can help. But do you really think you'll be able to turn me human?"

I smiled. "Of course I do. I'm a Halliwell, remember?"


	4. Chapter 4

There is only going to be one more chapter after this. It should be up sometime in the next couple of days. Enjoy this next installment in the lives of Chris and Dominic! ^^

xXxXxXx

_It shouldn't be hard to believe  
Shouldn't be this difficult to breathe  
The sky is falling and no one knows._

"Maybe I should go talk to them alone," I said as I searched the cave for a clean shirt. "Wyatt might try and kill you again."

"He seems to be very protective of you," Dominic said, laying on the bed and watching me.

"He's been protective of me since I was born. He thinks I'm too weak and powerless to protect myself." I picked up a shirt and smelled it. No, no, definitely not clean.

"No, he doesn't." I stopped my search and turned to look at him. "He doesn't think you're weak. He's your little brother. Of course he's going to do everything he can to protect you. He loves you." Standing up, he started unbuttoning his shirt. "Here, wear this one. I promise it's clean." He took it off and handed it to me. It was a nice long-sleeved black shirt.

"Thank you," I said as I slipped it on. Dominic stepped up behind me. Wrapping his arms around my body, he started to button the shirt. I leaned back into him and sighed, praying that my family would accept Dominic and help him. I don't know what I'd do if they didn't. No, I did know. I would stay with Dominic, there was no question about it. I just had to make my family understand this, and, if they didn't want to lose me, they wouldn't have a choice.

"Are you ready?" Dominic whispered in my ear, making me shiver slightly.

I breathed deeply. I wasn't ready. I didn't want to leave him. I didn't want to go back to them. I didn't want to listen to them yell at me and tell me how crazy I am. Maybe I am crazy. Love can make a person crazy. And I was hopelessly and irreversibly in love. "Does it matter if I'm ready? I have to go. I have to find a way to turn you human. And my family has to accept you, so, when you are human, they'll let us be together."

He could tell how nervous I was and he placed his hands on both sides of my face and looked into my eyes. "You'll be fine, Chris. They're your family. They'll love you no matter what."

"I hope so."

He captured my lips in a breathtaking kiss. When we broke apart he smiled at me. "Relax. Just breathe. In. Out. In. Out. Now go."

I could still feel the shadow of his palm against my cheek as I orbed into the attic. As soon as I was there my father orbed in as well. Obviously he had sensed me. "Chris, what the hell is going on?"

"I love him," I said quickly, closing my eyes and bracing myself for the explosion that was about to happen. Instead he remained silent. Opening my eyes, I saw him staring at me in shock.

"But he's a demon. How could you-"

"Half. He's only half demon. And he wants to be human." I realized that if I could just convince my father, then he could help me convince the rest of the family. "I love him, Dad. At first he was just controlling me, but then…" I sighed and sat down on the couch in the corner. "You can't help who you fall in love with right? You fell in love with Mom when it was forbidden."

"That's different."

I started crying then. Bending over, I held my head in my hands and sobbed. He hesitated a couple seconds before walking over and sitting down next to me. He started rubbing my back and waited until I had stopped shaking to ask, "You really do love him, don't you?"

I wanted to say, "Duh. Wherever did you get that idea?" But I decided to give him to benefit of the doubt and said simply, "Yes."

He sighed and leaned back on the couch. "It's just that… he's a demon."

"So you would be more accepting if he were human? Which is what he wants? Which is what I'm trying to help him become? Which is-"

"Yes, yes. I understand. You have convinced me. Do you want to go down and talk to the rest of the family or do you want to wait? But I must warn you, Wyatt is about ready to go after him again." I jumped up. "Don't worry, your mom won't let him. She knows something is going on."

"She always does." I smiled and hugged my father. One down, so many more to go. I was surprised that he wasn't more angry. He was actually a lot calmer than I had expected him to be. I had anticipated a huge shouting match and hours upon hours of trying to make him understand. And he didn't even have a problem with the fact that I was in love with a guy, or at least he didn't say anything about it if he did. I guess being gay was nothing compared to being in love with a demon. We separated and headed downstairs. I held my breath in anticipation.

---

"But he's a demon." That was the general reaction of everyone when I told them. Couldn't anybody think of something better to say? Yes, I knew he was a demon. That's what started this whole mess. I repeated what I said to my father, about Dominic wanting to be human.

They remained silent for a moment or two until my mother said, "Then, let us turn him human."

"Really?" I asked in surprise.

"Of course," Aunt Phoebe said. "There's a potion we used on Cole to strip him of his demon side. It would be easy to adjust it to work on…"

"Dominic. But you would really do this?"

"Chris, the only problem we have is that he's a demon. Why would we not want to make him human?

"So, when do we meet him?" Wyatt asked. "The last two times don't count seeing as we tried to kill each other. Sorry about that by the way."

xXxXxXx

A/N: I don't really remember how Cole turned human; if I'm wrong feel free to yell at me.


	5. Chapter 5

I am sorry about the 6-month delay in this update. I really don't have any excuses other than somebody placed the curse of the writer's block on me. Better late than never right?

xXxXxXx

I'm alive but tell me am I free  
I've got eyes but tell me can I see  
The sky is falling and no one knows

We were back in the cave, cleaning it up after the explosion had nearly destroyed it. Several large rocks still littered the floor, and I was in the process of piling them against one of the walls. We had put it off until now, ignoring the mess. I could have done it with magic, but it felt good to just do something for once. After setting the rock I was holding down on the pile, I looked up at Dominic. He was currently sitting on the bed, staring off to the ceiling. I wanted to ask him why those demons had come, but I already had and he froze up and changed the subject every time I brought it up. Instead I settled on reminding him that my parents wanted to meet him. "They want to meet you properly," I told him. "And help you-"

"But they'll hate me," he interrupted, snapping his head around to look at me. His red eyes were wide. I cringed slightly, wanting to look away but at the same time glued to him. "I know they'll hate me. And Wyatt will try to kill me again. And-"

I crossed the room in three strides and kneeled down in front of him, placing my hands on his knees and looking up into his face. "Relax. It's going to be ok," I assured him. "I promise."

"You can't promise anything! How will you know everything will be ok? You don't! You don't have the power of premonition!" He stood up, pushing me away and walking across to the pile of rocks.

I sighed, closing my eyes and shaking my head. I was used to his sudden outbursts; there was nothing I could do that would calm him down again. "I was just trying to-"

"Help? Yeah, I know you were. But there's nothing you can do. I'm a demon. And I always will be. Nothing anybody can do will ever change that." He slammed his fist into the stone wall, not even flinching as the skin burst open and blood started to drip from the wound.

I started walking towards him. "But you don't want to be a demon. You are good."

"No! I'm evil!" He turned around suddenly, his eyes crimson with an emotion I couldn't quite place. Rage? Anger? Frustration? I didn't know, but I cringed under the gaze. "You always tell me I'm not evil, but you have no idea. I am. Kneel before me!" he commanded, and I had no choice but to comply. My legs gave out and my knees slammed against the ground. I winced at the pain. "Well," he laughed, menacingly, manically. "It looks like that stupid spell your brother said didn't work after all. I _can_ control you. You are my prisoner. You will not orb away. You will honor me. You will worship me. You will love me."

"But I _do _love you…"

"Silence!" he shouted, and I shut my mouth, gritting my teeth together. _I love you,_ I repeated in my mind. Her may have commanded me to not talk, but he hadn't forbid me from thinking. At least, he hadn't yet.

He was in one of his "I'm a demon, therefore I'm evil" moods, as he was when my family had come in earlier. When he got like this, it was almost impossible to determine what he was going to do next. And even more impossible to make him stop. "He is a demon after all," the little voice in the back of my head reminded me. "He _is_ evil." I shook my head.

"Did I tell you you could move? Don't move!" He threw the rock he was holding towards me. It missed, thankfully, because I couldn't exactly duck out of the way, and shattered on the ceiling above me. Little pieces of rock and dust rained down on me. I needed to sneeze but I couldn't. My muscles were paralyzed. I was surprised I could still breathe, and that my heart was still beating. Apparently, he didn't actually want to kill me. Well, at least that's something, I thought. His demon side may be in control right now, but his human side is still there, underneath, and still has at least some say in what happens, albeit subconsciously.

Dominic picked up another rock. I cringed inwardly, wondering whether or not he was going to throw it at me again. I also wondered how long this mood of his was going to last, and if my family would come in to save me like last time.

The next thing happened so quickly, I didn't eve know how it happened. One second I was kneeling on the ground and the next I was flying backwards through the air, slamming against the rock wall five feet above the ground. I gasped, biting my bottom lip against the pain. If I didn't know any better I would've thought my spine had snapped, at least that's what it felt like.

I looked down at Dominic, and I could've sworn I saw something like remorse in his eyes. It was gone a second later and I figured I had just imagined it. The Dom I knew would hate to see me in pain and it wouldn't matter if his demon side were in control. He wouldn't let anything happen to me. The being before me just glared with eyes like burning coals, his lips turned slightly upwards in a smirk. This creature enjoyed seeing my pain. It walked forwards, towards me. It's hand was up, holding me against the wall. I didn't know he had that power. I guess there really was a lot I didn't know about him.

"Dom," I whispered, and that flicker was back, this time a moment longer, making him hesitate and drop his hand slightly. I collapsed to the ground, pain searing through my entire body. I tried to ignore it, looking up at him again. And at that moment, as I looked into his _demonic red _eyes, I realized it wasn't worth it. He must be controlling me so well if I can take all this and forgive him the moment he says he's sorry. And even if it is just his demon side, how was I to know if he would have these random mood swings and become violent towards me when he's human? I don't deserve this. I closed my eyes, breaking the connection.

Dominic growled, closing the distance between us and straddling my waist. I bit down harder on my bottom lip as his weight pressed down on my bruised body. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction. I drew blood as his nails dragged across my skin, ripping off my shirt. I turned my head as far as physically possible. He grabbed onto both sides of my face and tried to turn my head. "Look at me!" he shouted, digging his nails into my cheeks and succeeding. I kept my eyes closed though, and my mouth as he kissed me brutally, bruising my lips. "No," I gasped, trying to push him away. But he was stronger than me and resisted my attempts easily. He bit my lip, hard, in the same place I had broken the skin and I screamed out, pushing him away with all my might, and apparently my magic too, for he flew across the room and collapsed on the other side. I hadn't meant to hurt him, but now he was the one lying in a heap on the floor. I buried my face in my hands and started to cry.

It was sometime later that I heard the sound of a shattering potion and my name being called out. So my family had come to rescue me after all. Although this time, I didn't need saving. Looking up I muttered, "Better late than never." Everything went fuzzy after that. I vaguely recall my parents consoling me, and a warm golden light.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: This is the last chapter of this fanfic, but it is not the end of their story. I might put up separate one-shots about them (if you're good and review). Enjoy.

xXxXxXx

_It shouldn't be hard to believe  
Shouldn't be this difficult to breathe  
The sky is falling and no one knows._

I became aware an unknown amount of time later lying on my bed in the manor. The sun was streaming through the window, making golden streaks across the ceiling. I figured it was sometime in the late evening, but the exact hour remained unknown to me. I stared at the light above me, at the little rainbow dancing across the expanse, caused by something catching those last rays of sun. I wanted to just close my eyes and slip back into the grips of unconsciousness, yet at the same time I resisted the urge and forced my eyes to remain open, forced myself to remember, to not ignore the range of emotions I was feeling at that moment. I tried to sort them out, but my attempts were in vain. It was just too confusing. I sighed and sat up in bed, reveling in the fact that nothing in my body hurt. I raised my arms to the ceiling to stretch out my tightened muscles and sighed again in contentment.

Noticing movement, I looked up to see my mother reclining on a chair across the room, her eyes closed, her breathing slow and rhythmic. On hearing my sigh she had stirred slightly, but remained asleep. As I watched her, observed the dark circles under her eyes and her overall disheveled appearance, I realized for the first time just how much pain and anxiety I had caused her over the past week. Had it really been only a week since I was sitting on the beach and Dominic had approached me? Had it really been only a week since everything was normal? (Not that it was ever normal in the Halliwell household.)

I sighed again and leaned back against the headboard. My stomach growled painfully; I should go and get some food, but I didn't want to get out of bed at the moment. So I just sat there, watching my mother sleep, vowing to somehow make it up to her, all the pain I had caused her.

After several minutes, the door to my room quietly opened. Shifting my attention, I saw my brother stick his head into the room. Upon seeing me awake, he hastened to close the door, muttering something along the lines of "Sorry I disturbed you."

"Wait!" I exclaimed, and, remembering my mother, who appeared to still be asleep despite my shout, I continued in a much quieter voice. "You can come in."

He opened the door again and stood in the doorway, shifting nervously. This was not like him, to act all nervous, to not know what to say. At any other time I would have reveled in this moment. I motioned for him to sit down and he took a seat at the end of the bed. He remained silent for some time. I sat there and stared at him, waiting for him to say something. When he didn't, I started to get nervous too. I realized I would have to initiate the conversation if there was to be one. I sighed. He looked up at me. "I'm sorry," we both said at the exact same time. This confused me; he didn't have anything to be sorry for. He wasn't the one who fell in love with a- er..let a demon control him and make him believe he was in love. That was me. It was all my fault. I was the one that not only put myself at risk, but my family as well. If I had been paying attention to her, I would have noticed the look of intense concentration on my mother's face as she listened to our conversation, but I was too focused on my brother. "Why are you sorry?" I asked him. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"Neither did you." He sighed. "I feel like I failed you somehow." I was going to interrupt him but he held up a hand to stop me. "Let me finish. I'm your big brother. I should be able to protect you. I should be able to keep you safe. That's what older brothers are supposed to do. And what do I do? I make you run out, alone, at night-"

I couldn't let him continue. "What?! You think it's your fault? You think you made me leave that night and therefore you caused all this?" I stared at him incredulously. "How do you figure that?"

"You didn't want to meet my girlfriend," he said simply. Ok, so that was true, but it didn't mean Wyatt was at fault. And I told him that. "You didn't do anything wrong, Wyatt. You never do anything wrong. You're-"

"Don't say it, Chris." He stood up and walked to the other side of the room. "Just don't say it." He sighed and buried his face in his hands. "I'm not perfect. I don't know how many times I have to tell you. I have faults, Chris. I have weaknesses. I make mistakes. I am not perfect. Just because I'm 'twice-blessed' doesn't mean anything. What does that even mean anyways? You have the same parents I do. You're half whitelighter and half witch (half charmed one). You have abilities that can equal mine. You have the same talent, and the same intelligence. Just because I was born first that makes me twice-blessed? Well, that's bullshit. If I'm twice-blessed then so are you." He sighed again and sat back down on the bed, now that he had gotten that off his chest.

"I know. I've just always felt inferior to you."

"I know. But you shouldn't feel that way. You are not inferior to me. Promise me you'll try to change this "I-can't-do-anything" attitude?" I nodded and he stood up, about to go. He hesitated though and said, "He's a great guy, Chris. You're lucky to have him."

"What?!" I exclaimed, shocked. After everything that had happened, after everything I went through, he still thinks… That jumble of emotions boiled up again, and I tried to ignore them; I tried to suppress them. I didn't want to deal with it, didn't want to admit to myself that despite everything, I still had feelings for him. "No," I said, shaking my head. "He was controlling me. I didn't…I don't…" I continued protesting, which only made Wyatt smile.

"Could've fooled me," he said. "When we were in the cave, you wouldn't let us do anything until you knew he was ok. You kept asking about him. And when we finally calmed you down enough to get you back here, you were saying his name in your sleep. And you were doing that of your own free will, too. That potion we threw? It was a power-stripping potion. And what about when you weren't under his control after I said that spell? It may have sucked but it worked, and you chose to stay with him. The only reason he was able to gain control over you again was because you did it of your own free will. And that burn I gave him was fatal. Seeing as he's not dead, you were able to heal him. Do you know what triggers that power? True love. So go ahead. Just try to deny it." He was smiling, just daring me to try and refute his arguments. I couldn't. Every point he had made had chipped away at my defenses, so I was in danger of not being able to hide anymore. My silence made his smile grow. "That's what I thought," he said, pausing for a couple seconds before continuing. "I've had some time to get to know him since we rescued you from that demon. He really is a nice guy. As your older brother, I approve." He then left the room. I stared after him for a moment or two, wondering how he could possibly know what I was feeling before I had sorted it out myself. My mother sitting down on the spot Wyatt just vacated interrupted me from my musings. I hadn't even noticed her get up, that's how lost in my thoughts I was.

"Your brother loves you very much," she said, smiling at me. It must have been such a relief to her to know that I was going to be ok. My guilt increased.

"I know," I replied. "I'm sorry, for putting you and everyone else through so much."

"Oh, honey, you shouldn't be sorry about that. It wasn't your fault. The demon that is responsible for this doesn't even exist anymore. Although Dominick is blaming himself for what happened. It wasn't his fault either. Neither of you did anything wrong." She paused and stood up, about to leave. "He doesn't think you'll ever forgive him. He doesn't even think he deserves to be forgiven. It's up to you if you do or not."

"Wait, mom." It was difficult to decide what to ask; there were so many questions running through my mind. "How could I have fallen in love with him in a only a week? That's impossible."

She smiled. "Nothing is impossible. Especially when you're a Halliwell."

"But how can I still love him after what he did?"

"The way I see it, he didn't do anything. Think of it this way. The human that you fell in love is currently sitting in the guest bedroom down the hall, feeling miserable because of what the demon did to you. Try to think of them as two completely separate people."

"Thanks mom," I smiled. How did mothers know exactly what to say?

"You're welcome." She walked over to me, kissed the top of my head, then left me alone to my thoughts.

I did want to see him, and talk to him. That much I could determine from the jumble of emotions. As soon as Wyatt had left, that wall in my mind was rebuilt, all those little chips fixed, so it was stronger than ever. My mother's words helped me sort out what was in my heart, but i needed to talk to Dom to convince myself it was true. My mind and my heart were at odds with each other, and I didn't know which side I should go with. Well, I wasn't going to figure anything out sitting here alone, so I stood up, deciding I was at least going to talk to him.

I made my way to the guest bedroom, but hesitated outside the door. I didn't know what to expect, and that, more than anything, scared me. My hand was shaking as I reached out and knocked. "Come in," he said, in the same voice I knew so well. The voice that sent my heart all aflutter- I stopped that thought there. This was not some sappy romance novel, even if his voice did affect me as much as it did. I took a deep breath and opened the door.

He was standing, facing me, by the window. I stayed where I was, unable to walk forwards and enter the room. He held my gaze though, and I gasped. His eyes were no longer red. They were blue. The most brilliant blue I'd ever seen. Like the sky: the vast expanse that holds you to the earth, that protects you from the vacuum of space. The sky. At the same time it keeps you safe, it makes you feel so small. Strips away everything holding you back, so you cannot hide anymore. You cannot deny it. As I stared into his sky-blue eyes, it seemed like everything else in the world disappeared. There was only he and I. And I knew, right then, that I didn't need to talk to him to fix it. Because there was nothing to fix. I crossed the room in three strides and took him into my arms, wrapped myself around him. He held onto me tightly, shaking. He was sobbing, muttering "I'm sorry" over and over again. I silenced him with a kiss. "Shh. It's ok. I love you. Everything is going to be ok now." And it was. At that moment nothing else mattered. It was all ok.


End file.
